Homeschool Curriculum Review: Educator.com

I was introduced to a new online education program called simply Educator. This website is geared toward higher level high school instruction, more specifically, AP level courses. Through the use of video instruction by some of the brightest minds in the country, a student is able to participate in an online lecture course with a teacher that would no be available to them on a local level. This is a subscription based program that brings unlimited access to the entire database of courses, teachers, and instructional materials. Whether you student needs to learn Chemistry from beginning to end, or just … Continue reading

Finding a Quality Curriculum

With homeschooling growing at the speed of light, the industry of homeschooling is growing just as quickly. There are old established homeschool curriculums competing with new curriculums. Unfortunately, some of the old curriculums are outdated, and some of the new ones are not up to par. For this reason, it is important to thoroughly investigate a new curriculum before handing over any money, and/or presenting it to your child. The reason I am bringing this up is because there is a bit of murmuring in the homeschool community over a certain curriculum which goes by at least 5 names that … Continue reading

Homeschool Curriculum Glossary (Cadron Creek-Christian Light)

Cadron Creek Christian Curriculum “Cadron Creek Curriculum provides parents and teachers with sound academic materials for training in scholarship and godliness. As the home of the unique literature-based unit study, Cadron Creek offers highly effective curriculum materials and companion resources.” Included are supplement math, spelling, and grammar for each unit. The Little house series is one of the featured units. Callirobics is a handwriting program set to music. The purpose is to improve eye hand coordination and fine motor skills. “Callirobics (CALLIgraphy and aeROBICS) are a unique concept in handwriting exercises. They consist of repetitive simple writing patterns (straight and … Continue reading

It’s Okay to Take it Slow

One advantage to homeschooling is time. Finding time in the classroom is not easy feat. A teacher must find the time to educate a classroom full of kids in the span of six hours. I always thought teaching was a profession not for the faint of heart and for those with a calling. I will be the first to admit that I am not sure I could conduct a classroom as well I do my homeschool with only three students. With a smaller number of students, no principal or pressure to have your class pass tests, a homeschooling parent has … Continue reading

What to Do When You Can’t Afford Preschool

If you find yourself in a situation where preschool is out of reach financially, what do you do? Is your child doomed to fall behind before she even reaches Kindergarten? Will he grow up to be unsocial and labeled slow if he doesn’t attend the best early learning program? Research does show that early childhood education in the form of a quality preschool program does give children an edge over those who do not attend. But with preschool costs soaring, not everyone has the option of sending their child to preschool. Before you panic, let’s review a few things. First, … Continue reading

Reasons I am Glad We Homeschool: Gateway Tests

It was just announced in Georgia, where I live, that 40% of 8th graders have failed the CRCT math test that allows them to move on to high school. (This number varies based on the reports and could be as high as 60% failure rate.)Sixth and seventh graders have failed the social studies test en masse. Many of the students who have failed the test are honor students. What is wrong with this picture? The Georgia CRCT test is designed to measure how much knowledge students have retained from what they learned. This test is used to diagnose students strength … Continue reading

Medical Transcription Schools: Career Step, Part Two

This blog is part of a series on transcription. If you haven’t read the other blogs in this series, make sure to check out the summary page for a listing of all transcription blogs. For part one of this interview, please click here. Here is part two of the interview with Amanda, the Administrative Assistant at Career Step: What do you think Career Step’s biggest strength is as a school? The Career Step training program is unique in that it is constantly evolving to better meet the changing needs of a very dynamic industry. Technology is changing at a rapid … Continue reading

Reasons I am glad I Homeschool: Change of Scenery

This week I am blogging from Richmond Virginia. The kids and I are traveling with my husband who works as an IT (Internet Technology) contractor. We wanted some extra time with him and a change of scenery as well. Since he travels quite a bit, homeschooling makes it easier for us to get quality time with him because we are not necessarily tied to a school year calendar. Sure, the children and I have commitments that do not allow us to travel all of the time. There are arts and academic classes, which are important, and we hate to miss … Continue reading

Traveling Single Parent, is Homeschooling a Good Idea?

Salena asked the following. I have a question, I am a full time auditor Mystery Shopper. I make between 2000-4000 a month and it’s not about Money, at all BUT I am always on the computer or traveling. My daughter is simply failing the 7th grade in Private school. When I travel, I need to take my Daughter with me because I have no support. My sister is a Full time teacher and is willing to oversee. Is homeschooling a good idea for my daughter as she wants to travel with me when I go. No father, he is dead. … Continue reading

Author Review – Sue Monk Kidd

Sue Monk Kidd exploded onto the literary scene in 2002 with the release of her first work of fiction, “The Secret Life of Bees,” which I reviewed last summer here on Families.com. Let’s take a few moments to learn more about this intriguing author. Like her characters in “Bees,” Sue was born and raised in the south, in a small Georgia town called Sylvester. She says that she thought about her childhood in Sylvester while writing “Bees,” and it’s evident from reading the book that she is very well familiar with that area. Her father was a creative storyteller, and … Continue reading